


Just a Little Revolution

by Val_Creative



Category: Pearl Harbor (2001)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Friends to Lovers, M/M, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-28
Updated: 2014-03-28
Packaged: 2018-01-17 07:35:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1379302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some secrets that are worth remembering. War is over, what if Danny wasn't dead?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just a Little Revolution

*

 

Flying. That was his passion.

He loved it ever since he was a kid. His dad took him out to see the sunrise early in the morning in his crop-dusting plane. His childhood wasn't the greatest or the richest, but flying had been everything. Now, everything had been Evelyn. But that had been robbed from him when he discovered three months after his near drowning... that his best friend had slept with her.

Inside a Hawaiian-themed tavern, the good-looking tanned man sat on a stool, taking shot after shot with his ace buddies.

Gooz squinted his face. "Damn, you settin' a world record, Rafe?"

The Lieutenant blinked calmly, gulping down another. "I don' feel nothin' yet," he mumbled.

A newbie piped up from the other side of the bar, "Ya'll, where's Danny?" Rafe slammed his open palm on the table nearby, loudly.

"Who gives a _shit_? Let's get another round for the boys!"

They cheered and hooted obnoxiously as the older man put down some bills. He wasn't old as in middle-aged; it was just everyone else was around 21 when he was 25. Sometimes they joked around and called him "Sir". Rafe began muttering some more as drinks were passed around, " _Fuckin' bastard…..stealin'…_ "

Red made sense of what he was rambling about and said nervously, "Better y-your best fri-friend than s-s-some stranger."

His hazel eyes heated but his face remained detached as he drawled casually, "See 'ere, Red. Say if you left for the War and came back to find Gooz here fuckin' Betty, how would ya feel about that? Well?"

Anthony looked up from his whiskey bottle. "Rafe, I know you're mad; you have every damn reason to be. But why are you so dead set on makin' Danny miserable? We 'eard you for the past three days comin' up with crazy schemes to break him and Evelyn up." Rafe waved his hand impatiently.

"The bastard stole my girl. I will hate him for the rest of my life. Swear to God."

Red spoke up timidly, "But… he's your best friend."

He interrupted the meeker man, " _Was_ , Red. Shit, ya'll are bringin' me down. I'll see you in the compact tomorrow." Rafe staggered to his feet, not really comprehending that he was a bit more towards the line of drunk, but he was clearheaded enough to think and know it was time to leave.

Gooz tried to call him back but he ignored him, wandering onto the beach.

 

*

 

The sand was cold against his bare feet as he stumbled for his car parked in a heap of sand.

Clear outside, the stars shining over the tropical night sky.

His vision was fuzzy from the mass consumption of alcohol in his system, but it came back to see a figure leaning on his automobile.

Light reflected from the distant tavern faintly showed a tall, brawny man who was smoking; he looked only twenty or so. Chopped brown hair blew against his forehead. The man let a cloud of smoke drift as the breeze went by. Cagey, dim brown eyes gazed out into the ocean. Moonlight filling a strong-boned face.

"Goddamn you."

Danny Walker glanced at him, letting his cigarette drop, his eyes troubled.

"I was waitin' for you," he said.

Rafe ignored the sensation brought on by the harsh accent in Danny's voice. He did it so many times now that it was merely a reflex. "No shit. Good for you, I don't care," he answered stubbornly, almost losing his balance when the earth gave a violent whirl. His best friend didn't say anything. "You stole my girl; you stole Evelyn from me, you son of a bitch!"

Danny sounded as if he was expecting this fight. "You died!" he shouted. "You died and you left us both with nothin' but words on a piece of paper! We weren' expectin' it to happen! I didn't do this to you on purpose!"

Twice as loud, Rafe shouted back into the night air, "You weren't suppose to go after her when I left anyway, _damn_! Best friends dun do that!"

Danny tried to grab his arm to appease him but he backed away, mumbling, "Don't, just, don't…" The other man shook his head.

"I didn' mean to, I love her… but…"

"But what?"

Danny looked down, not meeting his eyes. "She'll always be the first girl I ever loved but somethin's changed… it's not the same."

"You used her," threatened Rafe, shaking with hostility once more.

The younger man held up his hands in defense. "No. I'd never do that to her," he explained. "I did love her…"

Rafe interrupted, "But somethin's changed?"

"I dunno what, through. I'm tryin' to figure it out." Enough of this bullshit. He stumbled to leave with his car still in sand but Danny yanked him back.

Ignoring his friend's curses, the quieter boy looked at him serenely, voice rasping, "You're the only family I have, Rafe. War is comin'. I can feel it. One of us ain't gonna make it alive. Please… I'm sorry about Evelyn…" He clasped his hands over the other man's shoulders as a comforting gesture.

Rafe saw the honesty in his eyes and couldn't stay mad at him. He never could around Danny. Sometimes, he could be as innocent as innocent could be.

He said, sighing, "I don't think I can fully forgive you."

Danny nodded.

"I know that."

Something got Rafe's heart hammering faster and faster.

The way Danny was looking at him, it wasn't how it was normally. A touch full of admiration and devotion. It made his body react in ways it usually wouldn't. His blood heated. His palms got sweaty. The younger man slid his hands to the back of Rafe's shoulders as the latter swallowed hard, a heat rising in his neck.

"You don'… have to stop seein' Evelyn," Rafe insisted.

Danny gazed into his eyes, speaking with that same honesty, "I have to. It's the only way to make us both happy." An awed expression crossed his face and his lips parted. He slipped Rafe's khaki jacket off his shoulders, letting this brave new feeling take him. Rafe could see that he was doing his best not to stare at the thin, sleeveless shirt that clung to him like a second skin. He had forgotten the question that tickled his mind. Rafe said, trying to sound calm and not husky, "Danny… I've known you forever and you mean a lot to me… I'm sor-"

He was cut off by a pair of rough lips lingering over his.

Danny's eyes half-closed and the smell of nicotine came from his sweet breath. This couldn't be happening, could it? He wasn't enjoying this…

Rafe felt the younger man's strong arms wrap around his waist, hiding beneath his coral, hula shirt. He positioned his arm around Danny's lower back and his free hand cupping the side of a shaven cheek. Their lips caught simultaneously, teeth scraping. The usually reserved man was the one to willingly press his tongue into his mouth, wrestling them lightly. Rafe should have thought this wrong. This was a sin as the churchgoers would say, but he never did like church anyway.

Danny had been right. Something had changed, and this change was particularly _interesting_.

The younger made a pleasured groan and his back rammed against the car door. He disregarded the mild back pain and focused on the task at hand as the kiss deepened. Just as fast as it happened, it stopped and the men stared into each other's eyes, foreheads inclined on contact.

The world spun around them, looping merrily in a heavenly daze just for them; conceivably it could have also been exhaustion taking a hold.

They laid in the backseat of Rafe's car. He whispered in Danny's ear as Rafe reached for his belt and zipper, "Never speak of this." Dark eyes offered agreement.

Danny continued kissing him with such a ferocity that his eardrums were about to collapse from the pressure. As he undressed him quickly, Rafe looked up to make sure no one was sneaking around; after all, they were in an open air convertible. The bar was empty, cars were long gone, only moon and distant lights were there to greet his watchful eyes.

Danny slid himself out of his boxers and pulled him back down. He started, "Do you-?"

"Don'cha know talkin' ruins it?"

Danny closed his eyes when Rafe did and smiled. "Is this just blind lust?" he asked.

Rafe still had his arm around his waist and whispered back at him, chuckling softly, "You tell me." They couldn't control the laughter erupting from their throats; within a few minutes, it went back down. Danny began to shiver.

"Damn, how did it get so cold?"

"I ain't," Rage told him, grinning. "You're just a wimp."

His best friend punched his arm nonchalantly, both of their faces shining with different levels of amusement.

Danny shivered a little more visibly, rubbing his arms and the older man murmured, "C'ere, I'll warm ya up." Danny didn't know whether he was joking or not, but soon found out as he claimed his mouth and went right back to where they left off, hands exploring muscled flesh and kisses exchanged.

A loud roar blared in their hearing and they sat up alarmed. A light flashed close by, a barking of a dog echoed in the night, someone was running in the direction of the car. " _HEY! HEY YOU_!"

Danny snapped into action, climbing over to the driver's seat and turning the key, zooming out of the beach as fast as the hut owner and his guard dog had came running. Chilly air whipped their faces as they sped down the road, coming up to an empty hillside where Danny turned off the gas.

Rafe panted, settling his chin and arms over the head of the passenger's seat. "Well, that was close."

"Too close," Danny replied sternly but his face twisted up to a smile. "I'll admit, it was fun."

Rafe raised an eyebrow. "Now, where were we?" he said.

Danny eyed him with confusion a moment before being pulled into the backseat, into warm arms.

 

*

 

The Captain could remember the Top Secret mission, the adrenaline of bombing the Japs, the anxiety of when they crashed their plane and seeing the other one turn into a melted heap of metal. The terror of watching Danny get shot after he tried to save his daring ass, and holding his lifeless body.

He could still feel the warm flow of Danny's blood on his hands and soaking into his clothes, could see the wonderful faces of the Chinese, and feel the tears flowing down his face he didn't discover until several hours later.

When they finally got Danny help, he was technically dead but something in him refused to quit. That was his pulse they detected an half an hour shortly.

He laid in a coma for nearly three years.

Rafe came to visit his best friend everyday in the hospital; the guilt of that terrible day weighed his whole world down. He would have considered seeing Evelyn again if he wasn't so wrapped up in himself. Her son Daniel, who she said after his father, was a bright and spirited child. When Rafe saw Danny in Evelyn's child's eyes, he couldn't control the pain in his heart.

In spring, on a particularly lovely day, Rafe entered the unlit hospital room. In his hands, pretty little wildflowers from him and Evelyn. He set them in the glass jug near the window and sat down in the chair by the cot. He stared at the pale form.

Danny's muscles were fading and too skinny even though his face remained chiseled. The grimacing expression was almost too horrible to watch hour after hour, the face slightly bunched up.

Rafe gazed down at him dejectedly, his Southern voice cracking, "Goddamn, Danny, wake up. You have to wake up, you got a son now. He needs to taught to fly, only you can teach him; he needs his Father. Evelyn needs you to help her. I need you. Come on, boy; I've protected you all my life and you paid your debt to me. You saved my life, I didn' ask you to do it. I never wanted you to get hurt, not even when I was mad at ya. If you die, I don' know what I'd do. Get up, the squadron wants you back. You wanna fly, don't you? I bet you're itchin' to get back on a carrier. I've got one all geared up for you, all you gotta do is wake up….."

Rafe wiped his eyes briefly, whispering, "I love you Danny. I didn' want to believe it, but I do. Goddamn it, I love you."

 

*

 

He squeezed his fists tightly.

_'Oh fuck, my head hurts…where am I?'_

He couldn't concentrate-then suddenly it came back to him- _Rafe leaving for Britain - the news of Rafe's drowning - the parachute room with Evelyn - her handsome gray eyes - her perfectly shaped lips - but he didn't love her - playing chicken against the enemy - the carnage in the hospital - that night in Rafe's car - the one he wasn't suppose to talk about - crashing into the rice paddy fields - the injury in his neck - the motherfuck's shooting him when he shielded Rafe-_

_Rafe was holding him, holding him with sturdy arms. He felt so safe, cold but safe. The agony was leaving; he was leaving his body, he could feel it. Rafe was begging him to stay, talking about being a daddy…_

He had to get up. Rafe was here with him. No more sleep.

Danny let his lids twitch before opening an eye weakly to find the curtains blocking out the vicious sun-rays. Thank the Lord.

"Danny? Danny Boy, can you hear me?"

He almost smiled. He remembered when Rafe use to call him that when they were kids. A pet name from a song they heard Rafe's dad sing when he was drunk the hardest.

Danny felt a hand slip into his loosened fingers and he grasped it as forcefully as he could as a sign he could hear him.

Cool fingertips touched his forehead. There was traces of glee in Rafe's voice, "God, Danny, you scared the shit outta me! I'm gonna go get a nurse!"

Danny didn't let go of his hand, voice weak, "D…on't leave. The Japanese….."

"It's over, Danny Boy; we won the War. Everything's better now. Oh my god, I can't believe…"

He let his limbs rest a moment before using all of his strength he had to grope and yank down Rafe's shirt collar, dragging him down on the cot and easily laying on top of him. His dark brown eyes were open and sleepy; Rafe could see the last remnants of a dreamless slumber in those eyes.

His face hovered over his. Danny heard the Rafe ask underneath him, "What was the last thing you heard me say?"

Danny's bangs hung over his eyes. He murmured, "I love you too."

Rafe wasted no time to snatch Danny's dogtags and tug his face down, placing an earnest kiss on his mouth which Danny grinned against.

There was a new everything in the Captain's life.

Besides flying, of course.

 

*


End file.
